Entries from September 2008 ↓

In California a convicted felon has been banned from a casion he started. And while I would have to say I agree with this. I would also look at the reason he is a felon and say that he provides little to no risk to exert control over the casino. And say this was another waste of taxpayer dollars.

The state Gambling Control Commission banned convicted felon Rene Medina from the Lucky Chances cardroom and its administrative offices in Colma on Tuesday.

The former owner — who pleaded guilty to three counts of tax evasion in U.S. District Court last year — can only visit the casino’s restaurant and gift shop.

Medina is expected to be sentenced in October. Rodney Blonien, Medina’s attorney, did not return calls for comment.

According to commission spokeswoman Anna Carr, a felon cannot be licensed to own or operate a casino.

The Rev. Jim Butler of the California Coalition Against Gambling Expansion asked commissioners to ban Medina from the casino.

He was concerned that Medina still exerts control over the club he created in 1998.

“It would be easier to not have him there,” Butler said Tuesday after the hearing.

Courtesy of Iowa Voters, the Sioux Falls South Dakota area will be getting a new casino.

Lyon County, Iowa, voters have taken the first step toward opening a new casino and resort by overwhelmingly approving the project.

Tuesday’s election found 62 percent in favor of and 38 percent opposed.

County Auditor Wayne Grooters said the 70 percent voter turnout was the highest ever for a special countywide election.

The Lyon County referendum is the first step toward an anticipated opening in 2011.

Two hundred acres of farmland near Larchwood would be transformed into a gambling and recreation hub intended to draw from the 200,000 residents in Sioux Falls, S.D., area.

Southeast Kansas once again is an open territory for a state-owned casino.

The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to reject Penn National Gaming Inc.’s contract to manage a casino in Cherokee County. The vote was a formality because Penn two weeks ago walked away from the contract, saying it couldn’t compete with a nearby tribal casino in Oklahoma.

Great news only if Kansas can attract another developer.

The Cordish Co., developer of Louisville’s Fourth Street Live entertainment complex, is negotiating with the state of New Jersey on a $700 million deal to buy the Tropicana Atlantic City Casino & Resort.

Word of the proposal, which came Tuesday from New Jersey’s Casino Control Commission, marks the Baltimore developer’s latest leap into the gaming industry.

I personally believe this would stabilize Tropicana which has been plagued by problems for the last few years. Cordish is a great operator and would be a great addition to the old school boys in Atlantic City.

As state casino revenue growth declines, does Arizona need more casinos and fewer government restrictions on them?

A California analyst who recently compiled a national report on tribal-casino growth says fewer restrictions on the number of casinos and their growth would be a “win-win” for both gaming tribes and Arizona.

Personally i am for casino restrictions as I believe it would improve the quality of casino experiences and bring about healthy growth instead of rapid growth and expansion.

Casinos have no moral obligation to get you to quit gambling in their casinos. Period. Next Question.

A federal judge has dismissed a $20 million racketeering lawsuit against seven casinos by a former New York City attorney who said they had a duty to stop her from gambling.

In a ruling issued Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Renee Bumb wrote that Arelia Margarita Taveras failed to support her claim that gambling is a hazardous endeavor worthy of special protections.

“Playing blackjack, roulette or the slots bears no likeness to dumping toxic waste,” the judge wrote. “She spent money on the bona fide chance that she might win more money. In short, she gambled.”

Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the nation’s bicameral legislature, has established an ad hoc subcommittee to deal with what boils down to two areas. Firstly, legal, regulatory and fiscal matters related to gaming activities nationwide; and secondly, legislation that could lead to full-blown casinos in Mexico.

It appears this could be a sign that Mexico is heading towards full blow casinos which I believe will revitalize traditional tourist areas frequented by Americans. These areas have seen a decline in revenue due to a faltering American economy.

For some executives, the slow economy is a source of stress. For those who run casinos, it’s another excuse to create fun.

Fun is the keyword. I mean seriously who wants to gamble their day and nights away on vacation but if there is other forms of entertainment then lets head to the casino and spend our money there. Live entertainment,dancing show girls, great music and movies and I am game to waste my days there.

Increased loyalty-card perks, new restaurants and expansion of free bus-ride programs are among the ways casinos are marketing to gamers.

“We compete with other entertainment venues – the other steakhouses, other places that have live entertainment,” said Sheila Morago, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.

In a swift change it appears strippers will be coming to a poolside near you in Vegas. I am thinking filling topless pools with strippers cant be such a bad thing. But I am thinking this is a sign the economy is slowing.

Brittany McClain spends her nights stripping at Sapphire gentlemen’s club in Las Vegas under the stage name Electronica. By day she sunbathes topless at an adults-only pool at the Rio Hotel and Casino.

“My life now is, if I’m not stripping or at the pool, I’m sleeping,” McClain said of the new partnership between the Rio and Sapphire that keeps her busy day and night.

The Attorney General of Florida is not messing around. Although I wonder how far he will push this issue.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida must stop Class III gaming at its casinos now that a 2007 compact signed between Gov. Charlie Crist and the tribe is no longer valid.

State Attorney General Bill McCollum sent a letter to former U.S. Attorney Philip N. Hogen, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission in Washington, asking him to put an end to Class III gaming activities including banked card games and Class III slot machines at casinos including the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa and a similar operation in Hollywood, as well as five other casinos in Florida.